To dislike the redundant prefix

[Neededanewuserhandle]

I know this is a niche area and also that people who care about SPAG tend to be vilified on MN, but I like the economy of expression that comes from English having so many words that you can always find one that fits. Warn and book have particular meanings and don't require the "pre" prefix - pre-warn, pre-book.

In our house we say "pre-prepare".... as a joke! At least it started out as a joke, but now means e.g. get cups and teabags out but don't actually "prepare" the tea yet...

this is spot on @Neededanewuserhandle but you’ll sadly get shouted down by the usual folk saying

• languages evolve over time ( !! 🤣 )
• people know what I mean so what’s the problem? 🙄

I believe there’s a nuance between e.g. book and pre-book (the latter implies tentativeness) which has been gradually lost as practices have changed: to “book” something meant to literally write and record it (and it’s still used in that way in accounting and insurance) whereas to pre-book it would be more akin to noting it but not fixing the occurrence. The same nuance will apply to other prefixed words. They probably are redundant to some extent, though not necessarily incorrect, and I imagine will just gradually fade out of usage.

Pedants corner is that way >>>>

How do you feel about forewarn? That seems more correct because it sounds older, but logically suffers from the same issue.

That's a bit pedantic

Forewarn is acceptable.
To warn is to give notice of danger. Example: watch out, that branch is falling!
To forewarn is to warn before the event. Example: if you don't prune that branch then it could fall on someone.

Doesn't the prefix lengthen the time between the warning and the event? A bit like warn and forewarn, which kind of mean the same thing but also not quite.

I agree with you on pre-book, though, seems unnecessary. Because booking is an action which has quite a lot of certainty arising it. "I've booked a flight" is accurate. "I've pre-booked a flight" is silly.

But people do like to complicate and misuse language - see current uptick in use of "side profile". Makes my teeth itch.

'Uptick' makes my teeth itch.

I know this is a niche area and also that people who care about SPAG tend to be vilified on MN

I'm pretty sure they're only 'vilified' for acting like the forum monitor, and rudely picking strangers up on their SPaG?

Don't you mean 'pedants' corner'?

Well 'pencilling it in for Thursday at 3' is pretty much obsolete.

Would happily ban pre-meeting meetings, though. In word and particularly in deed.

I think they do have a minuscule difference in meaning, but otherwise part of a trend toward “more is more”, possibly due to insecurity (appropriate insecurity as it turns out) about using insufficiently “proper” (read “posh) English.
A bit like the use of ‘yourself’ instead of ‘you’, or dropping random ‘whoms’ when they mean ‘who’, but not as bad.

Prebooking of flights does happen, just not by the general public. For example a tour operator might prebook an allocation of seats, and then book them with the passengers name.

Doesn't the prefix lengthen the time between the warning and the event? A bit like warn and forewarn, which kind of mean the same thing but also not quite.

Yes, this. The OED certainly defines them differently.

I think this is generally how people use them- a pre-booked taxi is booked further in advance than a booked one, a pre-ordered novel is ordered before it's available to buy, and so on. Yes, we could certainly get by without the prefix but I don't think that means that it adds nothing or that "pre-warn" and "warn" mean exactly the same. Economy of expression is great but not to the point where you lose nuance.

Yes, you wouldn't pre-book a flight but you might pre-book seats or pre-book a meal. I think the "pre" implies that the booking is not essential.

I don’t like the phrase ‘book in advance’

i can’t book it afterwards can I???

Surely it means in advance of the day?

We run ticketed events at work and people think they can turn up and book on the day, but we need more notice than that.

I suppose it's quicker to say 'tickets must be pre-booked' than 'tickets must be booked in advance of the day of the event'